Should gay travelers visit “hostile” destinations?

We’re re-posting this article from mid-2014 as it’s got a lot of food for thought as the gay travel population considers its international options. We at Venture Out, not surprisingly, are of the opinion that it’s better — in general — not to shut out so many countries just because they haven’t progressed as much as the U.S. and other Western and developed nations. If you simply go by the laws on the books you’ll be missing much of the world. We think it’s better to be visible, to be representatives, a diplomatic corps of sorts to help progress happen across the world. Gay travelers staying out of sight and out of mind in these places does nothing to make advances.

Obviously we need to be careful about the specific destination (if it’s particularly hostile for example), and there’s always a manner of comportment that is called for in these places (whether you’re gay or not gay). For instance, open displays of affection, regardless of your sexual orientation, are just a no-no in so many places across the globe.